The England left-back has been a key member of the Blues side which has clawed back a 15-point deficit on Manchester United, who they will overhaul with victory at Old Trafford on Sunday.

Cole, 30, said: ‘The pressure is what drives people on. It makes you want to prove something, to carry on going and keep on winning things. I just want to win anything because I love the feeling.

‘When you stop getting that feeling, that’s when a lot of players tend to stop playing football because they haven’t got the desire any more. I’ve still got years of that desire left in me and the players here are all the same in that respect.’

Cole, who has not missed one of Chelsea’s Premier League games this season, suggested he is playing better than ever.

He added: ‘Now I go into games thinking, “Let’s see if you can stop me running”, or, “I’m going to make you chase me”, rather than the other way around.

‘Instead of thinking about how they’re going to get past me, they’re going to be looking over their shoulders to see where I am.’